For the past week, I have run exactly 0 miles, touched exactly zero weights, and ate at least 10 bowls of sugary cereal. I’ve unfortunately had a head cold and been incapacitated in my house for 7 days straight. I’ve been in a rut and it sucks.
If you are anything like me, you go through rough patches just like this. Sometimes rough patches are caused by obvious things like sickness, divorce, losing a job, losing a loved one, not meeting a goal, having unexpected expenses, or the like. Oftentimes, however, we experience rough patches for seemingly no reason at all. Sometimes we are feeling especially unmotivated, emotional, down, or not worthy and we have no idea why. This is a part of being human.
As emotional creatures, our emotions are subject to change. Fortunately, we are resilient. We are good at dealing with change.
Think of humans as the tide in the ocean. If you sat and watched the ocean and waited for the tide to change, it would be like watching paint dry. You’d be there for hours. But you'd know that eventually, the tide would change. It comes in and out multiple times a day, every day. We are like the tide. We have good days (when the tide is high) and we have bad days (when the tide is low). While our tide might be high right now, remember to be humble and know that eventually, the tide will go back out. The same thing goes for when our tide is low. Remember that eventually, the tide will come back and everything will be okay.
“It’s okay to look at the past, but don’t stare. It’s okay to let go, but don’t close the door.”
With that being said, I have a quick and simple tip that has helped me get out of a rut many times, including the one I’m in right now.
Find a song.
Music is one of the greatest things in the world. When we listen to music, a chemical called dopamine is released in our brains, which improves our mood and reduces our anxiety. Music can also help in the production of the stress-reducing hormone cortisol, which induces pleasure, joy, and motivation. It doesn’t matter what kind of music speaks to you. It can be rap, pop, rock, country, classical, electronic, jazz, blues, reggae, disco, instrumentals, slow, fast, quiet, loud, it does not matter—as long as it makes you feel good.
I know you have Spotify or Apple Music. Open your music app of choice and start listening. There will be a song that sticks out to you. You may already have one in mind. Find the song that works for you right now and put it on repeat.
Let it lift you out of your rut. Happy Monday everyone.
Comments